World No. 1 Simona Halep and the winner of the last US Open Naomi Osaka will be among the leading women's posters at the Sydney Tennis Tournament (January 6-12), the organizers announced on Monday.
Among the ladies, the table will be particularly raised with 8 world premieres that have planned to align with the Australian tournament, which traditionally serves as preparation for the Australian Open, which will start the following week, January 14 .
"I am delighted that many of the world's most talented players have chosen to come to Sydney in January," said tournament director Lawrence Robertson.
German Angelique Kerber, victorious at Wimbledon this year, will defend her title in Sydney, while Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova, Kiki Bertens, and Daria Kasatkina are also expected. The only missing women in the top 10 will be Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina.
The men's table will have fewer headlines, with Kyle Edmund, the No. 14 seed in the world, ranked 14th in the world. Australian prospect Alex de Minaur, 19, and the French Gilles Simon, Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are also expected.